Interesting Facts about the Island Fox

Found only on six of the Channel Island off the coast of Southern California, the Island Fox is made up of six subspecies one on each island where they’re found. They are one of the smallest canid species in the world, descended from the gray fox, its believed they “rafted” to the islands thousands of years ago.

Did you know?

Island Foxes are the Channel Islands largest native mammal species.

Island Foxes are the only carnivore that is unique to California.

The longest recorded lifespan of an Island Fox was 15 years.

Island Foxes communicate through growls and barks but use facial expressions to show signs of dominance or submission.

The Chumash Indians considered the Island Fox to be a sacred animal, a pet of the sun and a dream helper.

Lesson plan note: Island Foxes are made up of six subspecies with small differences between each one. Break students into six groups and have each group list the unique features of one Island Fox species. Then as a class compare and contrast the difference between each groups findings and discuss why they’re different.